Robe mayor laments lack of common sense as pontoon left high and dry

The mayor of a popular coastal town has lamented a lack of common sense and over regulation as its pontoon is beached for the first time in more than half a century.

• Port Elliot pontoon gets beached

The pontoon at the popular South-East holiday town of Robe has been beached for the first time in 52 years as the local council negotiates with its insurers over its demands for daily inspections, which it says has pushed operational costs to unsustainable levels.

A similar issue has also caused the pontoon at nearby Kingston to be kept out of the water, following Port Elliot which said this week that it could not afford the $68,000 in costs it would incur to comply with demands from its insurance company before it would offer cover.

The Yorke Peninsula Council, which has 10 pontoons off its beaches, is also examining the issue.

Robe pontoon will be beached for the first time in 52 years. Picture: Supplied

Robe Mayor Lisa Ruffell said council had decided last week “we would not be taking the risk of putting the pontoon out’’.

“The rules and regulations we have to follow mean it is not sustainable,’’ Ms Ruffell said.

For the Port Elliot pontoon to meet the demands of its insurers it needed to conduct daily drone inspections, weekly physical inspections and removing it from the ocean twice a year for maintenance.

Ms Ruffell said the Robe council would need access to a suitable boat and qualified divers to comply and conduct daily inspections.

“Times have changed, we are being over-regulated and common sense has flown out the window on a lot of issues,’’ she said.

Robe Mayor Lisa Ruffell

Ms Ruffell said as far as she was aware no one had ever made a claim against the council regarding the pontoon.

Kingston Council chief executive Ian Hart said the local Lions club owned the pontoon but had offered it to council because its regular insurer had refused to cover it this year.

Mr Hart said council would consider what to do next but he said if the requirements were similar to Port Elliot then there was “no way the council would take on that level of responsibility’’.

Councils are insured through the Local Government Association and a spokesperson said it was “working closely with several coastal councils to give them the information they need to make informed decisions’’ on a “case-by-case basis’’.

“Pontoons are much-loved coastal assets in communities, but managing them does come with challenges – it’s why we’re seeing more and more community groups wanting to gift pontoons to councils to look after,’’ the spokesperson said.

“It’s up to individual councils to decide whether they have the necessary resourcing available to ensure pontoons under their care are kept safe to use and appropriately maintained.’’

A meeting was held this week between the LGA and the SA Coastal Councils Alliance to try to find a way forward.

Ms Ruffell said she hoped a compromise could be found and the town’s pontoon could still be floated later in the summer.

“It’s great for the community, it’s great for visitors, it’s not rocket science is it?’’ she said.